Realtors have stooped to new lows in advertising. Why? Because they can get away with it.
I saw an ad in Al-Hadaf yesterday listing an apartment “on the beach”. Hmmmmm… the only apartments (not chalets or villas) that I know of that are actually ON a beach are Warba Beach apartments in Mangaf.
So, I call the joker and inquire as to where it is “on the beach”. Dude comes back with “Dasman”. Dasman? On the beach? Are we talking about a small patch between the Towers and Chilis or Le Notre? Where dat? Well, turns out it is not ‘zactly on the beach – it is a block or two behind.
I have narrowed my search down to a few places. I am biting the bullet at 400 or 450 KD per month. These are places that are within my standard of quality, but aren’t so tiny that I can’t fit my bed into them (California king, baybeeeee). One place I looked at was so small that I would have HAD to put my bed in the living room because the bedrooms were so small. Who lives in these places – Pygmies? No offense to little people, but c’mon. The average adult walking around Kuwait aint gonna make it.
I spoke to a nice realtor, Chrissy from Saba Real Estate (christine@sabarealestateq8.net), who said that she knows a lot of expat folks are being ripped off by realtors. When you yourself go to a building to look at place directly, you don’t ever have to pay a fee. For 15 kd an hour, Chrissy will take newbies around Kuwait to ask around (hoofin’ it). Her fee is substantially less also.
There should be some kind of Kuwait Realtor’s Board or association where real estate people can be certified. They should have to carry some kind of ID that they are certified and if they are not certified, they should be fined/imprisoned. That would start cleaning up the problem of scams and probably reduce the real estate costs nationally. Bada BING.
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5 comments:
lol the only place even remotely near dasman that is "on the beach" is the seif palace and i dont think the credit crunch is that bad yet.
I can't believe you still haven't found a suitable place!
Sknkwrkz - you never know! :)
Jewaira - I have 2 places in mind right now. It is just a matter of being picky and indecisive at this point. :)
That's hilarious...I had no idea Warba Beach resort were the only apartments on the beach...and we live here! Seriously, it's well worth every penny of the 500 KD we pay a month, especially for my wife and son who homeschool. We have a 2 bedroom, but there are bigger places here for between 450KD and 500KD. It's a bit far from downtown, but nothing is really all that far here.
Hey, it might be a good idea to sign up at www.masahati.com. This might sound like an advertisement, but I know that its a site that should revolutionize Kuwait and the whole rent issues every currently has. Thought I'd let ya know as its post related ;-)
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